The following is a press release from my attorney. Media inquiries can be directed to the address below. I'm not able to comment beyond this on my blog at this time.
You can read the
full text of the complaint we filed, as well as media coverage:
"Ex-Google Employee Claims Wrongful Firing for Criticizing James Damore's Memo", Nitasha Tiku (Wired)
"Google Fired and Disciplined Employees for Speaking Out About Diversity", Kate Conger (Gizmodo)
"Google engineer says he was fired for fighting racism, sexism", Jessica Guynn (USA Today)
"Ex-Google engineer: I was fired for being too liberal", Cyrus Farivar (Ars Technica)
"Former Google employee files lawsuit alleging the company fired him over pro-diversity posts", Shannon Liao (The Verge)
"Google fired disabled, transgender man for opposing his co-workers’ bigotry and white supremacy, lawsuit alleges", Ethan Baron (San Jose Mercury News)
(
Original press release, copied below)
February 21, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAWSUIT CLAIMS GOOGLE’S NETWORKING FORUMS ARE A “CESSPOOL” OF HARASSMENT
San Francisco. A lawsuit filed today claims that Google, Inc.’s internal social networking forums have become a tool for widespread bullying and harassment of women, people of color and other underrepresented groups at the tech giant. The lawsuit also accuses Google of firing an employee for pushing back on the pervasive harassment.
Tim Chevalier, the software developer and computer scientist who filed the case, claims that Google fired him when he responded forcefully to posts attacking women and people of color and expressing white supremacist views. Chevalier, who is disabled and transgender, responded directly to the workplace bullies by posting comments challenging the hostile work environment and refuting assertions that women and people of color are biologically unsuited for software engineering, and that Google should not actively recruit them.
According to the lawsuit, Chevalier’s posts also championed transgender and disabled rights, and raised awareness about how Google’s culture excludes and discriminates against minorities. The lawsuit alleges that Google chose to fire Chevalier for his comments instead of addressing the rampant harassment and discrimination he was protesting.
Chevalier stated, “It is a cruel irony that Google attempted to justify firing me by claiming that my social networking posts showed bias against my harassers. The anti-discrimination laws are meant to protect marginalized and underrepresented groups- not those who attack them.”
Chevalier’s attorneys regularly represent tech employees in high profile discrimination and retaliation cases. According to David Lowe, one of Chevalier’s attorneys at Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP, “Company social networking forums can be incredibly useful, but employers have an obligation to prevent them from becoming a cesspool of bullying and harassment. Firing the employee who pushed back against the bullies was exactly the wrong step to take.”
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress, punitive damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
PRESS CONTACT: David A. Lowe
Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP
dal@rezlaw.com
